Ponsonby shooting inside story: Why Killer Beez gunman Hone Kay-Selwyn was refused entry to bar, what he said and what happened next

The hunt for the man who gunned down innocent bystander Robert Sidney Horne on a night out in Ponsonby has ended with the discovery of the gunman’s body near Taupō. Now, the Herald can reveal new details of the events leading up to the shooting, including what the gunman said before he began firing wildly and the bravery of bouncers who rushed to help the victim. George Block reports.

When a big man with oversized gold rings on his fingers and a bag slung across his chest tried to talk his way inside Ponsonby’s Chapel bar on Sunday evening, the bouncers on the door thought something wasn’t quite right.

“He had the glassy eyes, and the way he was communicating... it was like he wasn’t all there,” said Intercede Corporate Services managing director Claudius Ah-Loe, whose security workers were on the door.

Even though Chapel didn’t shut for about another hour, the bouncers made an excuse and said it was closing up.

“They made a good judgment call on that, and then they monitored him.”

His mannerisms and speech were off and he appeared drunk and under the influence of drugs, Ah-Loe said.

He also wore the large and flashy gold sovereign rings, the gold chain and the side bag that serve as red flags for gang links.

The bouncers were right to be concerned.

The man was Hone Kay-Selwyn, a Killer Beez gang member with previous violence charges who was rolling around Auckland that night with a gun in his side bag.

“They said ‘sorry bud, you can’t come in, the bar is closing up soon’.”

Kay-Selwyn then said to the bouncers “are you all good?”

The security guards confirmed they were all good.

Kay-Selwyn asked them where the nearest dairy was.

They pointed him towards the Mobil service station down the end of Ponsonby Rd at the Karangahape Rd intersection.

He started walking in that direction. As he walked off, he turned, put his hand inside his bag and again asked the guards if they were all good.

He continued on then stopped about 100m down the road, by an alleyway where he waited for a few minutes, talking on his phone and constantly looking around.

The bouncers kept an eye on him.

After about 10 minutes, a group of men including Robert Sidney Horne walked past. Ah-Loe said he and his staff knew the four men well as they regularly saw and looked after them at Hotel Ponsonby, another bar down the road.

“They walked past... they got stopped by the gunman, and they were exchanging words.”

Then Kay-Selwyn pulled a gun from his bag.

“The boys were watching, then they heard the first pop.”

Forensics staff were on the scene shortly after armed police arrived on Ponsonby night. But the gunman had already fled. Photo / Hayden Woodward

The first shot missed everyone.

Two out of the four men who were walking past fled, Ah-Loe said.

“The second shot was fired and that’s the one that hit Rob in the head.”

Ah-Loe said he and his staff did not know if Kay-Selwyn was aiming at the men or just firing wildly.

“It happened so quickly, we don’t know if he was actually after Rob.”

After letting off the two shots, the gunman fired another four or five in the air.

“Into the air, just aiming randomly out in the same direction as Chapel Bar.”

Police have said they have no evidence of any prior links between the pair.

One of the security guards took cover behind a van as he phoned police, while the other scrambled to move bar patrons inside to safety and lock the door.

He then ran back outside to the aid of the man lying on the ground with a gunshot to the back of his head.

The security guard took off his jumper and placed it under Horne’s head as a pillow, then performed CPR before police and paramedics arrived. Horne could not be revived and died at the scene.

Ah-Loe, who rushed to the scene shortly after the shooting, paid tribute to the man who was shot.

“Rob was the funniest. He was just full of life.

“He’ll rack up a tab and then take off and then come back later in the night and then pay for it.”

One of the security guards, the younger man, is on paid leave and receiving support while the other older and more experienced guard is continuing working because he wants to stay busy, Ah-Loe said.

He spoke on their behalf and did not want them to be named.

Robert Sidney Horne, 33, was shot dead on Sunday night in Ponsonby. He was a drainlayer who ran his own business, loved the outdoors and is being remembered as a good man.

Ah-Loe echoed the concerns of others downtown and in Ponsonby Rd who said they were noticing an increased gang presence in the city.

“Too many gang members fighting security and having a go at everybody for no reason,” he said.

“There’s a whole lot of gangs that are just coming in and out... and they’re trying to say that they run the strip and all this.

“I’ve had to also talk to the parents of my staff members. If anything was to happen to my staff, I’d have to answer to their parents.”

Ah-Loe said he and his staff had seen Kay-Selwyn around the city previously.

After the shooting, Kay-Selwyn went to ground as police launched a massive manhunt and public appeal.

Early on Wednesday, news broke that Kay-Selwyn had been found dead at a property near Taupō.

Detective Inspector Chris Barry said police are treating the death as unexplained. He would not be drawn on any cause of death or injuries and said police had not found the gun used in the shooting on Sunday night.

Horne was named as the victim later on Wednesday.

A long-time friend of Horne’s, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Herald he was a “very likeable guy” and loved by everyone.

He said Horne had a partner and was planning on having children.

“He just had such a big heart,” the man said.

He said Horne was a hard-working drain layer and enjoyed the outdoors, including hunting, camping and hiking.

Detective Inspector Chris Barry shows media images of Hone Kay-Selwyn early in the manhunt on Monday, before he was found dead near Taupō. Photo / Dean Purcell

A Facebook post from a family member said they were feeling “deep sadness”.

His body was released by the coroner earlier this week and he was taken to Parawera Marae, about 10km southeast of Te Awamutu in Waikato.

He is expected to remain at the marae until Thursday when he would be taken to Ngāi Tūpoto Marae in the Far North before he is laid to rest at Mātai Urupā.

Details of the background of the shooter have continued to filter out, from his criminal past to a famous forebear.

Police confirmed on Wednesday he was a member of the Killer Beez gang.

It also emerged the 31-year-old was the son of celebrated Kiwi filmmaker Don Selwyn.

On Wednesday, a group of men clad in black and white arrived in a convoy of vehicles, including several matching late model Ford Ranger utes, at the property in Broadlands near Taupō where Kay-Selwyn’s body was found.

A convoy of cars arrived at the rural property where the suspect in the Ponsonby shooting was found dead on Wednesday. Photo / Andrew Warner

Their attire, particularly the fact many wore black balaclavas, was the same as that often worn by Killer Beez members, though most, if not all, did not appear to be wearing patches.

They performed a haka as the body was removed on Wednesday afternoon.

A neighbour said they heard police sirens at the address about 5am yesterday.

As police hunted for Kay-Selwyn, a woman claiming to be his partner took to Facebook to reflect on the incident.

“My inbox is overflowing with messages concerning Hone’s actions [on Sunday] night in Ponsonby,” the woman said.

“I want to express my sincerest condolences to the family and loved ones of the victim. I’m deeply sorry and feel a great sense of shame about the situation.

“I’m still grappling with the fact that Hone took someone’s life.”

George Block is an Auckland-based reporter with a focus on police, the courts, prisons and defence. He joined the Herald in 2022 and has previously worked at Stuff in Auckland and the Otago Daily Times in Dunedin.